Exclusive-Bumble dating app explores sale, sources say

NEW YORK, June 25 (Reuters) - Dating app Bumble is exploring a sale amid slowing growth in the online dating sector, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The company, ‌which gained recognition as one of the first major platforms to require women to initiate contact, ‌is working with investment bankers at Morgan Stanley on a potential sale process, the sources said, requesting anonymity because the discussions are private.

How has Bumble's financial performance changed recently?

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Sources ​cautioned that no deal is certain and the company may decide to stay independent.

Bumble did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Morgan Stanley and asset manager Blackstone, which owns about 22% of Bumble according to LSEG data, declined to comment.

Shares of Bumble, based in Austin, Texas, have fallen 48% over the past 12 months, leaving it ‌with a market value of $388 million. Whitney ⁠Wolfe Herd, a co-founder of Tinder, founded Bumble in 2014 and built its brand around a "women-first" approach to online dating. Wolfe Herd, the youngest woman to tak

Fuente original: Yahoo Finance (https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/exclusive-bumble-dating-app-explores-162231056.html)